Of Mothers And Daughters
by Osaru Sensei
Summary: In two very different times, a mother helps her daughter discover what makes her special. Will they succeed in their quest?


**Been listening to Cat Stevens/Yusuf Islam's** ** _Father and Son_** **a lot lately (even submitted the concept of this fic to /u/Shandromand's Writing Prompt Wednesday as a prompt), and felt like I needed to get this plot bunny down real quick.**

* * *

 _I was once like you are now, and I know that it's not easy  
To be calm when you've found something going on  
But take your time, think a lot  
Why, think of everything you've got  
For you will still be here tomorrow, but your dreams may not_

* * *

"Good job, Bianca! Cassie, you need to mind your opponent's movement more! Now, again." Ruby Rose clapped her hands together happily as she coached her daughters. The older sister, 7-year-old Bianca, had already began experimenting with her newly discovered semblance glyphs – the hereditary semblance of her Schnee pedigree – while the younger sister, 5-year-old Cassandra still hadn't unlocked hers.

"Thanks mom!" Bianca said as she got back to her starting spot.

"Yes mommy…" Cassandra pouted as she stood opposite her sister, her expression soon shifting to determination.

"Begin!"

Cassandra barely had time to react as a white glyph formed under her feet, launched her upwards between two waiting glyphs on either side of her body that bounced her body between them twice before a third glyph behind her back threw her face-first into her older sister's open palm. A millisecond later, her shoulders hit solid ground as Bianca pivoted her downwards.

The girls' mother rushed forward. "Cassandra! Are you-"

* * *

"-alright?"

When Ruby managed to open her eyes, her mother was bent over her prone form in the grass outside their home on Patch. "Yeah, mommy. Jus' a li'l winded, 's all…"

Summer picked up her younger daughter and held her tight in an embrace that would have made her husband green with envy. "I'm so sorry baby, I should've scaled down the training to a more appropriate level for your sake".

The young girl in her grasp flailed a bit before managing to pry herself free from her mother. "Mommy, 's _fine_. I _wanted_ this training so I could find my semblance. I dun' want to be coddled like a five-year-old."

Summer chuckled. "Ruby, you _are_ a five-year-old."

" _Not the point_ , mommy."

"Are you sure I can't convince you to give up this foolishness for another ten years for some cookies and milk indoors?"

" _No!_ " Ruby stomped in the ground as she pouted. "I want my semblance and I want it-"

* * *

"- _now!_ " Cassandra lay once again on her back in the grass, kicking the heels of her boots into the ground.

"Maybe if you actually put up a fight instead of falling for the same trick over and over?" Bianca teasingly suggested as she offered a hand to pull her sister up with.

"Bianca, don't tease your sister."

"Of course mom."

As the two sisters once again faced each other, Bianca grinned at Cassandra smugly as she mouthed "You're going _down_ , kiddo."

Cassandra didn't allow her sister the joy of knowing her jibes were getting to her. She was growing wise to her big sister always defeating her with the same opening move.

 _Not this time_ , she thought to herself. _Not. This. Time._

She knew she had to move the split second her sister's glyph showed itself under her feet, or else all would be lost to yet another humiliating defeat between sisters. Once again, their mother raised a hand in the air, and brought it down…

* * *

… "Begin!"

At the command, Ruby once again started to move her way towards her mother's position within the swirling mass of wooden lumps tied to strings of rope. (What sort of mother would she be if she used her chain-axes in her daughter's training?)

"Remember Ruby, you only have to tag me once to win, unless I capture you!" she heard her mother say somewhere to her right as she narrowly dodged a wooden ball to the face. She readjusted her footing and combat-dive rolled forward over another rope swung at her stomach, only to get it caught on her foot before she had time to pull it away, making her tumble to the ground.

"Gotcha! And now for the capture!" Summer cheerily exclaimed as she began to twirl one of her ropes into a spiralling cage around her crouching sparring partner. As Ruby got to her feet and started a dash towards safety, her entire world exploded in a flurry of rose petals. When she dared open her eyes again, she found herself careening towards her mother at an impressive speed. Landing at her mother's feet, she shakily extended an arm and touched the white fabric of Summer's cape.

"Uh… tag, I… _guess?_ "

Summer blinked in stunned silence.

* * *

To Cassandra's detriment, her older sister was far too quick in conjuring the initial glyph under her feet. To _Bianca_ 's shock, however, nothing happened. Cassandra looked down at the glyph beneath her feet as it started to spin faster and faster.

"It's not working?! WHY ISN'T IT _WORKING?!_ " Bianca shouted angrily, sweat starting to trickle down her forehead. She added an extra glyph. And another. And yet another. Nothing.

"Sumthin' wrong with yer glyphs, sister dearest?" Cassandra mocked her older sister in a gleeful, singsong voice. As the glyphs fizzled out under her feet, Cassandra strolled towards Bianca, who was exhaustedly sinking to her knees. She tried feebly to swat her Aquilonis Miniscula at the threat, but Cassandra's fingers merely closed around her wrist loosely as she plucked the small dust-revolver from her sister's grip.

When Bianca tried to free herself, she found that the younger girl's grip was like iron around her arm. "How are you _doing_ this?!"

Ruby, who had until now regarded the scene without interfering, stepped in to observe closer. "Well Bianca, if your dear old mother had anything to say about things (and I do), I'd say your sister just found her semblance. Hold up your hand for me, Cassie?" Ruby gently pushed her daughter's open palm, then harder and harder.

"… Are you even trying, mommy?"

"Oh, I'm _trying_ all right. In fact, I'm putting my entire weight behind this." Ruby straightened up and walked behind Cassandra. Hooking her arms around her daughter's stomach, she pushed upwards. Nothing. After a few more tries, she unhooked herself and strolled around the younger girl, observing her.

"Okay, so here's my theory Cassie…" She knelt down and put her hands on her daughter's shoulders. "… At first I thought 'super strength', but that can't be it because that wouldn't explain why I wasn't able to lift you, and 'super dense'-" Ruby and Cassandra glared at the guffawing older sister. "-Wouldn't explain why neither Bianca nor I could push your hand away. So I'm thinking your semblance is more akin to that you simply cannot be moved unless you want to." Ruby got back to her feet, supporting her chin between her thumb and index finger. "As for a cool name (all semblances need a cool name, really), how about… Inertia?"

"Inersha?"

"No sweetie, _Inertia_. It's basically the exact opposite of my speed." Ruby nodded back towards the Rose-Schnee household home. "Now what do you say we give up this foolishness for some cookies and milk in…doors?"

"What's wrong, mom?" Bianca looked at Ruby quizzically.

"It's… nothing. I just had this weird sense of _déjà vu_ … Come now, let's go back inside…"

* * *

 _It's not time to make a change  
Just sit down, take it slowly  
You're still young, that's your fault  
There's so much you have to go through  
Find a girl, settle down  
If you want you can marry  
Look at me, I am old, but I'm happy_

* * *

 **AN: Once again, shout out to /u/Shandromand and Cat Stevens. You guys rock.**

 **I do not own RWBY, that's RoosterTeeth and Monty Oum.**


End file.
